Agricultura familiar: estratégias produtivas de base ecológica e aplicação de princípios da agroecologia

Abstract

The master dissertation presents an analysis about the production strategies of certified units of a familiar smalholders cooperative from Itápolis - SP. It was verified, at those unities, the application of agroecological principles recommended by the ecological based agriculture, in observance to the agrobiodiversity, material recycling and the social-economic aspects from the agroecology conversion and transition process. The research was developed through the complementarities provided by a combination of sociological and agronomic research methods, it means, qualitative interviews and questionnaire application with semi-structured questions. It was concluded that the establishment of economic relationships between the cooperative and an international market entity stimulates an expressive growing in the production diversity. Besides, it also generates the application of different principles of ecological based agriculture, as well as providing a visible attitude change in the natural resource exploration in this region which is placed in a hydrological basin considerated one of the most depredated basins of the Sao Paulo State in terms of native forests and pollution by chemicals and pesticides.